Let your garden grow! - Kitchen Garden Magazine

The RSPB is asking people to put down the shears, let their gardens grow and embrace the benefits this can bring.

Advisors at the RSPB are entering one of their busiest times of year as phone calls flood in about people embarking on over-enthusiastic garden clearance during the bird breeding season, which runs right through to August. Instead of rushing to cut back shrubs and trees, which can cause birds to abandon their nests, the RSPB is asking people to put down the shears, let their gardens grow and embrace the benefits this can bring.

RSPB Wildlife Advisor Ben Andrew says, “A little bit of untidiness is good for all sorts of bugs and birds and there are many other benefits to delaying your garden clearance. You’ll not only save yourself time and effort but you’ll also protect nature whilst doing so.

Article continues below...
Advert

Enjoy more Kitchen Garden reading in the monthly magazine.
Click here to subscribe & save.

“You can provide a home for many fascinating creatures if you leave your garden to grow a little wild. Hedgehogs, bumblebees, frogs, bats and butterflies are amongst those that might be likely to pay you a visit. You’ll also be offering a safe haven for nesting birds, valuable food for insects and a home for other wildlife such as mammals and reptiles.”

For advice on how to build a wildlife-friendly garden or open space, go to https://ww2.rspb.org.uk/makeahomeforwildlife/givenatureahomeinyourgarden/

Article continues below...
Advert

Enjoy more Kitchen Garden reading in the monthly magazine. Click here to subscribe.

Sign-up to the Kitchen Garden Magazine Newsletter

Enter your e-mail address below to see a free digital back issue of Kitchen Garden Magazine and get regular updates straight to your inbox…

You can unsubscribe at any time.

Steve Ott

Steve Ott is editor of Kitchen Garden magazine and started his career as a professional grower, producing everything from cut flowers to vegetables. He has been growing fruit and veg all his life and spends most of his spare time in his garden in the East Midlands. He loves to experiment with crops and varieties he has never grown before and when he isn’t gardening is to be found out in the countryside bird watching and walking his dog Ted.